Journey Into Mystery 11
by D
Summary: Who is the Mysterious Radioactive Man, and how can Lady Thor stop him?


Lady Thor

A Marvelous Tale Told in the Mighty Marvel Manner!

The Mysterious Radioactive Man

Jane wiped her brow. Walking up the steps towards Don's apartment was something secondhand to her by now, but with the added presence of two goddesses behind her made her mouth feel like it was filled with cotton. She reached out and hesitantly knocked on the door.

"Who's there?"

Jane knocked again. Don threw the door open and caught himself. "Jane? Sif? What are you doing here? Where did you go?"

"All will be explained." Thrud curtly answered as she forced her way into the apartment. "But now we rest." Sif followed slowly moved the apartment.

Jane slipped in last, but Don caught her wrist. "Alright, you leave in the middle of the afternoon, with a note telling me you're in Norway, and then I hear about you being in a movie? I think you owe an explanation now."

Jane sighed. "Alright, I see your point." Shortening her tale of her adventure in Asgard, Don listened. His jaw dropped at several points, but he kept his tongue until she was finished.

"That's…amazing."

"Aye husband, but our reasons for being here are not yet fulfilled." Sif interrupted. "Thou art to come with us before the new moon."

Don held his hands up. "Which happens to be several days away. Look, Sif, Thrud, I don't know how many times I can say this, but I'm not a god." Grabbing a framed photo off the wall, he showed to them. "Look, I have family, friends," He shot a glance at Jane, "and ties here. Jane seems to be more apt at using the hammer. Why not let her keep it?"

Thrud gasped (as did Jane, but inwardly). "Madness! We've already been banished from our home, Asgard is growing closer to revolt with each passing day, and the trickster's influence grows quicker more sinister. How can you ask that of us?"

Jane stepped in between the two of them. "Whoa! Let's all just calm down. Look, it's been a long trip for all of us, and screaming isn't going to help. Why don't we all just sleep on it and talk it over in the morning?"

Sif shook her head. "I will leave the discussion to my daughter. Mine agent will shake the world with his fury if I do not return to Norway." Thrud followed her mother out into the hall, but the elder goddess took her aside. "I trust the mortals judgment. Thou shall not force the issue, but stay with the mortal Foster, understood?"

Thrud nodded in agreement as she watched her mother leave. As she watched her turn around the corner, she suddenly felt more alone than she ever had before. She wasn't sure what she wanted, but she hoped that the Fates would guide her.

Meanwhile, deep within a hidden location somewhere in China

Dr. Chen Lu chewed the inside of his lip as he waited before the cold gray doors. Briefly, he panicked over the thought that he had been reported for amassing foreign propaganda, but he calmed himself as the door swung open. "I need those materials for my work." He breathed slowly as he walked into the room and stood before the table.

Shrouding in shadow, with a high intensity light overhead and focusing on him, Dr. Lu was unable to see the features of the men questioning him. He had never heard their voices before, and after today it was doubtful he ever would again. "Dr. Lu, what is the reason for your failure?"

He showed no signs of panic as he calmly handed his report to an underling. "My reasons are simple." He chose his words carefully. Careers and lives had been destroyed for less. "India would crumple under our assault, yes, but the United States would interfere. We are able to match any country in the world with our arsenal. Nuclear, chemical, all are unbeatable. We are lacking, however, one thing that the rest of the world powers possess."

"Superheroes"

The men in the shadows started to debate, but the central called them to order. "Quiet! Dr. Lu, you have…brought up an interesting point. But tell us, what do you propose? That we allow costumed anarchists to flourish?"

"Mutants might prove to be useful." One voice rang out.

"Bah! Their powers take far too long to develop, plus the cost of training and creating them-" Another voice snorted in disbelief.

"Quiet!" The central one shouted. All became silent as the leader cleared his throat. "Dr. Lu?"

He knew it was now or never. "My report only mentions the meta-humans that are currently working with the capitalists, and with many, there is one single common thread: radiation. Somehow, the atom can be the catalyst that can unlock the secret of human potential. I believe that if exposed to the right amount of atomic radiation, we will produce a super human agent, one that can act not only as a protector against the West, but also as a symbol of our might."

The voices broke down into murmuring. It was several minutes before the central one spoke. "Your idea has merit. How soon can you perform?"

He steadied himself. "Immediately, because my leaders, I intend to be the first test subject!"

J

Jane woke with a start. She had fallen asleep on top of her covers, still fully dressed. Sitting up, she glanced around her bedroom. As she slowly stood on her feet, the voice of Odin rang out from her mirror.

"Mortal!"

Almost falling down due to the shock, Jane turned her attention to the mirror and saw Odin's grim visage staring back at her. "Mortal, thou have been given until the New Moon to return my son to me, but the Fates have informed me of a dire occurrence which is but days away from happening."

"Really? What?" Jane eyed her cane as it lay where she dropped the night before.

"That I can not say. This I know; my son is in grave danger from this threat. If he should fall, I shall hold ye responsible. Save him, and I shall…permit you to wield a fraction of the very powers you stole."

Jane cocked an eyebrow, but kept her opinions to herself. "Very well, I agree to those terms." Odin nodded, and vanished. Jane sat back down on the bed and tried to plot out what he just told her.

"Ok, Don is going to die, why else would he warn me? If Don is Thor, clearly he would need him alive, yet he can't act directly; why would he warn me, and not Sif? Or send another god or goddess down to protect him? And the powers he promised, clearly he wants me to do the honors. But again, why?"

Her drab walls gave her no answer as she dressed for work. Picking up the walking stick, she tucked it under arm as she made her way towards the clinic. "I wonder what kind of menace could he have been talking about?"

Back in China

The warning siren wailed as the technicians scrambled into the safety of the bunker. Dr. Lu sat in a squat metal box, several miles away from the heart of the explosion, but still close enough to absorb the deadly fallout. "If you survive, you shall be the greatest weapon we have ever produced!" The words of his comrade rang hollow in his ear.

"If I survive, that is." As he sat on a small metal bench, suddenly his confidence wasn't so strong. As the countdown concluded, he clasped his hands in prayer. He had been raised a Buddhist, but that was before the Revolution. He dared not wear any symbol, least he be accused of anything, nor did he say any prayers aloud, knowing that the box might very well be bugged. Instead he shut his eyes as the bomb detonated and silently offered up a prayer to the Heavens as the light of the atom swallowed up his entire world.

"Well, what happened?" Men in radiation suits began to march towards the area. The men's Geiger counters were going crazy as they scanned the area. Looking through the binoculars, all they could see was a shattered remains of the metal box that once housed Dr. Lu. "Where is he?"

"Here!" Before the assembled group's collective eyes, appeared a glowing green specter of a man. His muscles were bulging with power, as his flesh was now a phosphorescent green. His white iris glowed with an inner power as he moved towards the men.

"Halt!" Rifles were raised as the leader nervously tried to remain in command. "Dr. Lu, I order you to halt!"

"Dr. Lu?" The incandescent man barked. "Dr. Lu is no more! I am now the Radioactive Man!" He laughed as he thrust his palm out. A bright flash of pure radioactive energy shot from his fingertips and blasted the ruined remains of the metal shack into a fine powder. "And I am power incarnate!"

It was a surprisingly simple thing, the Radioactive Man thought as he landed near New York. Once he had calmed his glorious leaders down and proved his loyalties still lie with the People's Republic, he had been dressed in a special lead suit and taken via submarine to the Bering Strait. From there the journey had been fairly dull, as he was loaded (along with several X-Ray machines and other hospital equipment as to explain the radiation) onto a cargo plane in Alaska and flown almost nonstop to America. From there he was quietly smuggled out and given simple order. "Find the mightiest hero you can and defeat them." The Radioactive Man smiled grimly as he slipped of the lead suit.

The flophouse that acted as his base had neither light nor heat; He needed neither, as with a simple concentration he filled with the room with bright green glow. He knew that he couldn't stay there for much longer. The heat his body generated had already caused the wallpaper to peel and the mirror to crack. "Bah, let them find me! With my power, I can defeat an entire army!" Scanning a newspaper (his fingers had grown so hot that any paper would combust in his grasp), the name Lady Thor stood out. "So, this is the strongest hero this weak land can offer? So be it, my first victory here shall be over Lady Thor!"

With concentration, he focused his powers as he stabbed the crumbling drywall with his finger. Using the intense heat as a torch, he sliced away the wall and kicked it into the street. "Beware, America, the Radioactive Man roams your streets!"

J

Jane entered the office. Things were quiet, as the front waiting room was utterly devoid of patients. Hearing footsteps from the back room, Jane carefully set her purse down and made her way towards the noise. "Don?"

Don was carefully arranging his tools as she entered. "Oh, hello." He turned his back to her and continued to sort and arrange the various hammers, stethoscopes, and medicine bottles.

"Don," Jane set her walking stick aside as she put her hand of his shoulder. "Listen to me, please."

Don turned around, and it was clear he hadn't much sleep. Heavy bags were under his eyes and his chin was covered in stubble. "Yes?"

"Don, what are we going to do?"

Don blinked. "I don't know." He sounded dazed. Moving into his office, Don leaned against his desk and ran a hand through his hair. "How's Thrud?"

"Ok, I suppose. She's still getting the hang of television, but she's making do. What about you?"

Don shook his head. "It's a bit much, isn't it? I mean, being told you're god and all." He straightened himself up and reached into his pocket. "Jane, I don't know if what they're saying is true, or if we're not just going mad, but there is something I want to say to you."

Bending on one knee (as much as he could), Don pulled a small box out of his pocket. "I've been carrying this around for a while now, but Jane, will you marry me?"

Jane blinked. She had been fantasizing about this moment for months, but now she couldn't think of a response. Her mind was utterly blank. "Don, but what about" He stood up.

"I don't care. I know who I am, and I am not a Norse deity. Jane, let's get away from this madness."

"Don, I don't know." Wailing police sirens interrupted her. "I have to go." Brooking no argument, she rushed out of the clinic and ducked down a nearby alley. Tapping her cane once upon the ground, Jane Foster vanished in a maelstrom of lighting and thunder.

In her stead was now Lady Thor, goddess thunder. Twirling her hammer, she flew above the city to see the cause of the commotion. Whatever the problem was, it seemingly started in the Bronx but was fast making its way towards Manhattan. Landing on a nearby rooftop, she tried to think of a plan of action.

"Zounds, what new horror has been unleashed 'pon the city? Be it one of Loki's tricks, or something more sinister?" Flames shot high into the sky as fire trucks and ambulances all raced towards the accident. "Whatever this foe be, Lady Thor shall stand against it!"

R

The Radioactive Man laughed as he walked in the middle of the street. With the slightest effort, his body was producing enough radiation to melt the asphalt in his wake. Wrecked and abandoned cars were scattered in the street before him. With a mere touch, he caused the metal to melt. Bullets melted before touching him and water boiled in the hoses.

The streets were empty. He knew the people were hiding. After his entrance, the police were on the scene, but proved no match for his power. He didn't know who gave the order to retreat, but he laughed heartily at the sight of the people fleeing before him. "I could get use to this." He was already deciding which of the five boroughs would be his personal kingdom when he noticed the rain. It sizzled and turned to steam well before it landed on him, of course, but the fact it seemed to be raining just on him was enough to give him pause. "What kind of trick is this?"

"Hold, villain!" A booming voice ordered, high above the storm. The rain stopped as the storm's commander marched towards him. "Who, or what, are you?"

The Radioactive Man bowed slightly. In slightly accented English, he spoke. "I am your destroyer. I, the Radioactive Man, shall destroy you Lady Thor, so that my glorious masters may pave the way for conquest!"

Rising, he lifted his head in just enough time to see a giant hammer rushing at his face. The next thing he felt was the concrete on his back as he skidded through the sidewalk. A ruptured fire hydrant rained pure steam as he stood up. "I see you pulled your punch."

Smiling broadly, he held his arms out. "Come then, strike me down. My body is living nuclear reactor. Do you have any idea what that means?"

Lady Thor paled, but resolved herself. "Aye, but your very presence here is worse than a plague."

"Well, I can control myself, provided I were assured of say, your surrender and the turnover of your government?"

"Never!" She began to twirl her hammer but stopped. "How can I stop this madman? A killing blow might cause an explosion!"

"Well? I grew weary thunder god. What is your answer?"

Narrowing her eyes, she spoke only one word. "Nay!" Slamming Mjolnir onto the ground, the goddess of the storm summoned blinding hail and lighting to strike the Radioactive Man. Flying over him, she paused to come up with a new plan. " Odin said I would be tested. Did he create this monster?"

Landing further away, she snagged a cowering newsman. "Tell, when did yon foe arrive?"

"Ah, maybe a few minutes ago? He was swearing in Chinese and melting cars." Seeing the mound of ice rapidly melting, the man squirmed in her grasp. "What are you going to do to stop him?"

"I knowest not." Tightening her grip on her hammer, she was prepared to launch another assault when a familiar figure darted from an alleyway and tackled the glowing goon. "Thrud?"

The warrior woman wrestled with the Radioactive Man. Her flesh burned at his touch, but still she pressed on. "Who are you?" The Radioactive Man was surprised, something Thrud used to her full advantage. Despite the pain, she hammered his body.

"A warrior born!" She gasped as waves of nausea made her sight unsteady. Her hands sizzled as the green monster's hands enveloped hers. Slamming her foot into his ankle, she backed away as he howled in pain.

"Thrud!" A familiar voice shouted. Staggering away, she was caught by Lady Thor. "Have ye taken leave of thy senses?"

Before she could answer, the Radioactive Man clenched his fists. "So, more of your decadent defenders, eh? Well, it will do you no good!" His body crackled with energy as the atomic fires raged within. "Now you will know the full fury of the atom!"

Lady Thor had just enough time to shield Thrud as the Radioactive Man fired off a fiery funnel of pure radiation. Caught in the twister, the pair was lifted high above the street. Within the vortex, Lady Thor tried to twirl her hammer in an effort to create a counter wind, but she found her grasp on Thrud's arm growing weak.

"Let go!" Thrud shouted.

"Never!" With her last ounce of strength, she hurled Mjolnir down the tunnel as she was flung away. Unseen by them both, the mystic hammer traveled down the whirlwind, only to be reflected at the last moment by the intense radiation and go sailing off into the distance.

The maelstrom blew them both over into Manhattan. Plummeting into an alleyway, Lady Thor painfully twisted in the wind, taking the full burnt of the impact. Hitting the concrete, she lay still under the burned Thrud, until a thought snapped her back to reality.

"Mjolnir!" Without the hammer by her side, she would transform back into Jane Foster. Her concern for her own well being was quickly replaced by concern for Thrud, as the warrior woman moaned painfully.

Carefully rolling out from under her, she checked Thrud's wounds. Ripping her cape to serve as bandages, she bound the worse of the burns. Before she could even attempt to move her or summon help, the familiar twinge of her transformation made her pale. "Not now!" She tried to lift Thrud, but her body was enveloped in a flash of light.

In an instant Lady Thor was no more; her costume, her injuries, her powers; all gone. In the place of the goddess of thunder was plain Jane Foster. Running out into the street, she managed to flag down a passing police car. From there things went by in a blur.

She had lied a bit; according to her statement was just passing by when Thrud came crashing down. She was allowed to ride along with her to the hospital, but once Thrud was in the ER she had to leave. Mainly due to the radio broadcast she heard on the way in. "Radioactive Man announces takeover of city!"

"What am I going to do?"

J

Back in Don's office, the only nursing Jane was doing was to a cup of coffee. She slipped away as the chaos increased. Walking all the way back to the clinic, she slumped down on Don's couch. Don gazed out the window as army trucks rolled by. "So, got any plans?"

"Not a one." Jane set her cup down as she stretched out. "I could easily summon my hammer, but I'd have to be Lady Thor first, and I can't change without the hammer."

"Not so!" Thrud gasped from the side door.

"Thrud! What are you doing here?" Don rushed to her side as she slowly sunk to the floor.

"Those mortal healers, bah! Thy medicine is weak and ineffectual." Her voice was raspy. "Listen to me, you can summon Mjolnir, but you have to be close to it."

"Well, that doesn't help much. I don't know where it landed." An idea sparked off in her eyes, however, causing her to sit up. "But I do have a rough idea. Come on Don, we have to get to Brooklyn!"

J

Their plan was foolproof, but the same could not be said of their execution. They barely managed to get Don's cars a block before abandoning it. Hoofing it, they cleared the Brooklyn Bridge. Getting by the Army and police was difficult, but not impossible. Following the trail of destruction proved most fruitful.

"Alright, we're here, now what do we do?" Don looked around nervously. He had kept the pace with her, bless him, but Jane was fast running out of ideas.

"I'm not sure." Scanning the empty street, she tried to see a trace of Mjolinr or even a walking stick. " I doubt it landed on a rooftop, but maybe it did. I'm not sure what to do. Do I call for it, or maybe wish for it?"

Walking down the blasted and heat-seared street, Jane was struck by just how empty the area was and how vulnerable she without her power. "No. I have to do this." Glancing upward, she shook her head. "Odin, you're not making this job easy, are you?"

Hearing gunshots off in the distance made her speed up. "Don, find cover and wait for me." She took off into a run before Don could protest. She rounded a corner to see the Radioactive Man, perched on a partially melted tank, laughing as men in radiation suits fired on him. He ignored the bullets as they melted into slag before even touching him.

Jane, perhaps from a deep calling or a blind guess, ran towards the nearest subway entrance. Ducking the falling debris, she stumbled in the dark. Seeing a shaft of light coming from an odd shaped whole, she felt a deep resonating within her as she spied her walking stick, jutting up from the deserted platform. "Thank you!" She whispered as the walls around her started to shudder. "Oh heck!" Running and tripping over unseen objects, Jane launched herself at the cane just as roof came down around her.

D

Don meekly peered around the corner. The street itself was empty, but the sounds of fighting echoed off the buildings. "Crazy girl." Moving as fast as he dared, Don limped towards where he saw Jane last when the street shuddered and dust rose up into the air. Covering his mouth, he hurried.

J

Jane opened her eyes. She saw nothing but darkness around her. She was unable to turn her head, and she felt something hot and sticky running down the side of her head. Spitting the copper taste out of her mouth, she wiggled her fingers. The cane was still in her grasp; the only downside was that she was unable to strike it on anything.

Her insides hurt. Something sharp was poking against something soft. Blind hot pain shot through her arm as she brought it up. "Please, just this one last time!" Her breath was ragged and wet. Lifting the cane was high as she could, she shoved it against the rubble, hoping it was enough to trigger a change…

R

The Radioactive Man's glee was as bright as his glow. His mind had been racing as he easily resisted the efforts to move him. "Why should I conquer this land in the name of the People's Republic?" He thought out his plan as he stood up and walked around, deep in thought, as the haggard police and army fell back. "Why not rule as myself? They can't do anything to me, no more than these weak fools." Out loud, he shouted in Cantonese towards the city's defenders. "I am the Radioactive Man, and I claim this land for myself! No weapon, no person can stop me! Do you hear me? Nothing!"

The street was silent. Then, he noticed something. The air grew heavy, like a morning before a sudden storm. Overhead the skies turned black and storm clouds rolled in. Thunder began to peal as lighting arched through the sky. His confidence started to fade. "What is this? A trick? Bah! I fear nothing!" He shouted as the winds started to howl around him.

Looking around, he tried to find the source of the disturbance when the street behind him started to crack. The asphalt split and groaned as cracks ran throughout the sidewalk. The concrete bulged obscenely as a water main burst, creating rivers throughout the street. A cold realization hit him as he started to back away.

"No!"

The street erupted in a fiery cataclysm as Lady Thor strolled out of the ruins. Her figure was unburned and her eyes angry. "Now, thou battle the full fury of a Asgardian born!"

The Radioactive Man stepped back, but put on a brave front. "Really? I defeated you and that other before, who says it can't happen again?"

"I do!" Twirling her hammer, she moved towards him. "Thy tricks and powers shall serve ye not." Her tone was low and her voice even. Her eyes, however, blazed with a fury that rivaled even his power. "In mine hands, braggart, is the power of the storm, power ye can never hope to harness." Lighting arced across the buildings, as the thunderclouds grew darker. Shouting above the din, she stepped closer as he cowered before her. "Nothing made by the hands of man can ever best that which was forged for the gods!"

D

Don stumbled upon the scene. Before him stood Lady Thor and the glowing green menace. Before his eyes the two titans looked ready to battle. A stray lighting bolt struck a building, bringing down large pieces of masonry. Narrowly avoiding the falling debris, Don moved past the fleeing police and moved closer to the fight.

LT

"Now villain, thy end is near!" Mjolnir was now little more than a blur in her hand. Directing the swirling mass at her foe, she closed her eyes and concentrated. A massive vortex opened up and engulfed the Radioactive Man.

"You think to stop me with my own tricks? Bah!" His voice was lost in the swirling winds. Raising his fists, he unleashed a fiery blast of radiation, but to his horror, he couldn't shut it off. "No, what are you doing?" He felt like a balloon. His powers were slowly being drained out of him and there was nothing he could to stop it. Blindly grasping, he tried to reach out and grab hold of the power that was once his, but he only became lost in the funnel.

The vortex was now a bright green. Sweat down Lady Thor's face as she directed the radioactive cloud higher and higher. "Odin, give me strength!"

The Radioactive Man screamed as his skin started to lighten back to its original color. "No! You can't do this, the power is mine!" He clawed at the air as the radiation was drained out of him and expelled high above the planet. "That's not even possible!"

"Quiet." Lady Thor strolled over to him, and with the slightest of efforts, knocked him out. Grabbing his leg, she prepared to deliver him to the authorities when her heart stopped. Medics surrounded the unmoving form of Don, and everything else seemed a distant second.

Rushing to the closest one, she quickly tried to determine what happened. "What's his stat?"

"What?" The medic was taken aback by her presence. "He caught a backlash of radiation. We're trying to stabilize him, but with the fighting I'm not sure if the ambulance can get here in time."

"Out of my way." She brusquely pushed the team aside. "I know of healers that will save him. The culprit responsible for this sleeps over yonder." A team of police officers rushed forward, but she ignored them. Gently picking Don up, she flew off, leaving behind a street filled with confused people.

LT

Landing on a nearby roof, Lady Thor looked to the sky. "Is this what you wanted?" Hearing no reply, she angrily slammed her hammer on the rooftop. Reverting back to her mortal self, she shook the withered stick at the sky. "Answer me!"

"Thy tongue should be more careful." A chilling voice spoke from behind her. "Calling upon the All-Father can be…an unwise move, especially if one is unprepared." Loki shook his head.

Jane felt her stomach flop as she tightened her grip on her cane. "One tap, and I'll smash your head in."

Loki's grin grew wide. "Aye, but who says I'd let you?" His mood grew somber. "No sister, I wish not for battle this day. All-Father Odin has seen thy battle and only wishes to bring his son home, so that he may heal."

Jane's face was a mask of fury. "You caused this, didn't you?"

Chuckling, Loki shook his head. "I speak the truth. Yon burning man, though a hearty brute, was no spawn of mine. Though I'd be proud to call him son." He clasped his hands behind his back as he looked over the city. "Mortals are so weak, but then thou knowest full well the limitations of man." Glancing at the still form of Don, Loki clucked his tongue. "A pity. For allowing this, I doubt Odin will continue to let you have Thor's power."

Jane hung her head. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Save him, please."

"Yes, yes, of course. He's worthless to me dead." Loki dropped the somber act. "In fact this whole situation couldn't have been more perfect." Jane raised her cane, but he spotted her before she could transform. "Ah, I wouldn't do that. Odin has banished ye, and besides, only I may take my brother back to Asgard."

"Then do it!" Jane seethed. "But don't think this is over Loki. We will have a reckoning."

"My dear sister, I would be disappointed if we didn't." Picking Don up, Loki vanished.

J

Jane numbly made her way back to her apartment. The chaos and confusion was a dull roar to her as she slowly walked inside. Thrud was sitting at her table. The air was thick around them. "Well?"

"He's gone." Jane felt tired. She wasn't angry or upset. Her eyes itched but no tears came. "They took him away and I did nothing."

Thrud stood up and walked to her. She was expecting her to scream, to shout, to rage against her failure; instead she reached out and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm sorry."

Jane lowered her head onto the warrior woman's shoulder. "Don's not coming back, is he?"

"I don't know." Thrud was silent. The Thor that she remembered was a beast. She hadn't been displeased when he disappeared, but the mortal she had grown to know these past months had been different. "Will he still be the same, or will he revert back to his old self?" Thrud pushed Jane away and looked down into her eyes. "Thou still wield Mjolnir?"

"Yes, for all the good it did me. Odin said he'd take it back if I failed."

"He won't take it back. If we hurry, we can reach Asgard before too long. From there we can argue before Odin himself!"

"Argue what? That Thor remains trapped in mortal form? I doubt he'd go for it. Staying here or there, that is a right that Don must make on his own."

"Aye, but my course be different. If Odin could trap a god in a mortal form, surely he could split them in twain."

"I don't follow."

"Render thy mortal Blake and Thor into two different bodies!"

"Hmm, it could work. What do we have to lose?"

While in Asgard

Overlooking the golden city was the mountain Lyfia. Home to healers and medics renown throughout eternity, the most grievously injured were often taken from the very brink of Hel's hearth by the healers of the mountain.

"How fares my son?"

Odin loomed over the still form of Don Blake. By his side stood Eir, handmaiden to Queen Frigga and goddess of healing. "Close milord. If he had been taken anywhere else, he'd be in Valhalla."

Odin glowered at her. Eir cleared her throat. "High father, thy son is injured. The mortal flame has consumed him from the inside and it is taking nearly all of our medicine to draw it out. Even with that, unless the power that is his birthright is restored, he shan't last the week."

"Leave us." Odin ordered. Eir raised a hand in objection, but Frigga quickly led her outside. Along in the hall, Odin doffed his helmet as a tear rolled from his one eye. "My son. My glorious son." Looking down at the withered and frail mortal form, Odin clenched his teeth in rage. "Curse me for a fool! I never should have banished ye, denied ye the power! That mortal wench, she hath done this! And your power she still corrupts!" Looking to the sky, he shouted in a voice that carried from the mountain all the way to Bifrost. "I swear, if my son dies, all of Midgard shall pay! So swears Odin!"

Unseen by all, Loki gleefully rubbed his fingers together. "Yes, that would truly be the end of Asgard's glory, would it not? I wonder what my dear sister would have to say about that?" The trickster silently left the hall. "Worry not, dear father, thy valiant son shall once again roam the Realm Eternal, but it will be as my puppet!"

The end

Journey into a Mailbox

This was based on "The Mysterious Radioactive Man", which was first published in Journey Into Mystery #93 (June 1963), with credits to Stan Lee (story), Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks), and Ray Holloway (letters). All rights reserved by Marvel Comics and their respective owners. No profit is intended.

Now for the fan mail

From Tiffani

_Great story Cambot. I think you've done a fabulous job with your stories_.

They call me Bruce

_Good story here D _

From Excel

_Excellent work _

And finally from SleeplessMan

Not bad, though it took me a few minutes to remember Jane's finding the hammer instead of Don Blake. Nice!

And a hearty thanks to all of you for commenting

And tune in next time when you'll see "Thor and Loki Attack the Human Race!"

And upcoming issues:

Sensational Comics#10-The Celebrated Flying Toads of Outer Space!

Tales to Astonish#9-The Mad Master of Time!

Amazing Fantasy#1-Freedom's Five battle against the evil Baron Blood!


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